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"Russia Ships First Arctic Oil, Fortifies Oil Defenses"

"MOSCOW -- Riding on his pride in the first export of Russian Arctic oil earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that allows oil and gas corporations to establish private armed security forces to defend their infrastructure, upping the ante for protestors.

On the same day, April 22, Earth Day, Putin also met with the Russian Security Council. There he said, 'Oil and gas production facilities, loading terminals and pipelines should be reliably protected from terrorists and other potential threats. Nothing can be treated as trivia here.'

At the Russian Security Council meeting Putin detailed Russia’s Arctic policy, which includes strengthening military infrastructure in the region, 'by restoring a number of airfields beyond the Arctic Circle and the military base on the New Siberian Islands.' "